


Nightmares

by Shastelly



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blood and Injury, Eventual Lance/Shiro (Voltron), Halloween Gift Exchange, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Langstron Gift Exchange 2020, M/M, Not Beta Read, Temporary Character Death, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:21:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27565222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shastelly/pseuds/Shastelly
Summary: Creepy Castle...checkDruid Magic...checkZombies...checkLangst...checkHalloween gift exchange for Langstron Gift Exchange 2020Voltron rescues a the last of an enslaved race from a Galra controlled base.  The refuges are gladly brought aboard the castle, but is that all they brought back with them?
Relationships: Lance/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [superfandomqueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/superfandomqueen/gifts).



It didn't hurt. He stared down at the arm in his gut and the first thing he thought was that it didn't hurt. It seemed like it should, but he couldn't feel anything at all. He was numb. He looked up past the glow of purple into stone hard eyes, eyes that were cold - unforgiving. Shiro stared back at him, nothing but anger in his face.

"How could you? It's all your fault. It's your fault that they're dead." Shiro's voice was like ice and it sent shivers through his body. The shivers turned into waves of cold nausea washing out from the arm in his gut. The waves brought the smell of burnt flesh and the copper of blood. The smell was followed by the sounds - the sizzle of the arm burned into him, the squelch of blood and torn flesh when it was pulled from him, the splatter of blood as it hit the floor in front of him. 

There still wasn't any pain. There wasn't any pain as his eyes closed, as his body tipped forward, or when he hit the ground. It wasn't until he tried to push himself back up that the pain blazed through him like an inferno ignited in his gut. He stopped moving his arms and laid his cheek on the cold floor, gasping for breath.

Three quintants earlier…

"This place gives me the creeps." Lance shivered as he moved through the darkened stone hall. He was at least three levels up into the tower. They had arrived a few varga earlier, defeated the Galra defending the prison and were now searching for any remaining prisoners. The thing is that it wasn't your typical Galra outpost. It's not that it wasn't purple and dark and all evil looking, it's just that it wasn't metal and alien looking - it was stone and old and dank and quite frankly creepy. It looked like Dracula's castle. 

"What, are you scared?" Pidge mocked.

"No!" Lance snapped. His skin crawled as he crept forward. The hallway seemed to go on forever. 

"I agree with Lance and I am scared!" Hunk voice held a quiver in the coms.

"Why aren't we able to scan anything again?" Keith griped.

"Coran said something about a weird residual energy. He couldn't identify it." Shiro's solid voice responded. "And that's why we have to search the entire place."

"Even if it is spooookkkky…boooooooooo" Pidge’s moaning boo turned into laughter.

"Hey, I hear something." Hunk whispered.

"Be careful, Hunk, we can't be sure that there aren't more Galra in here." Shiro cautioned. "Pidge, Keith, move to Hunk's position. Lance, keep sweeping up the tower and I'll keep moving through the lower levels." 

"I see some light ahead." Lance could barely hear Hunk, he paused his forward movement to concentrate. "I've got movement. Looks like maybe thirty in a large open room. They're all wearing Galra prison rags. I don't see any guards."

"I'm almost there, Hunk." Pidge’s voice reassured and Lance started creeping forward down the long hall again, another set of stairs waited ahead. "Okay, I'm opposite you and I can confirm the same information from this side. They don't look like they're in very good shape either." 

"I'm here." Keith sounded a little breathless.

"Let me go in first. I don't want to scare them." Lance, held his breath listening. "Hello." Screams echoed through the coms. High and alien and sounding terrified. Lance tightened his grip on his bayard and was starting to turn back when he heard Hunk again. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm Hunk. I'm a Paladin of Voltron. We've come to free you." Lance could picture Hunk with his hands out to the side in a non-threatening manner.

"Do not listen to him!" a strangely echoing voice came over the com.

"It is another trick from the Soul Snatcher!" a deeper voice echoed.

"Look, I don't know who this Soul Snatcher person is, but I'm with Voltron. Princess Allura is working to free prisoners just like you from the Galra. We've already defeated the Galra that were outside." Hunk tried again.

"Voltron is a myth!"

"No one can stop the Soul Snatcher. He knows all. Sees all."

"Who's the Soul Snatcher and are they here, because they don’t sound very nice?" Hunk’s voice took on the nervous edge that had Lance picturing him looking around and checking the dark corners.

The old one laughed, a bitter and sad laugh, "You have no need to fear. He is not here now. The Soul Snatcher will take our souls one by one until we are all gone, like he has the rest of our people. We are all that remain."

"Well that's definitely creepy." Lance whispered nervously, pushing open a wooden door at the top of the stairs. The room in front of him was full of glass containers and strange colored liquids. There were knives and other wicked looking things hanging on the walls, some coated in cracked dried dark orange substance. There was a computer station on the far side of the room. He entered carefully and moved to the computer, pulling out the drive Pidge had given him. They all carried one now, Pidge had them set up to download most any type of data they came across.

"Look if the Soul Snatcher or whoever was out there with the other Galra then he's either dead or gone. We have taken over this base." Hunk spoke calmly. 

"What if it's true, Nona?" A different softer voice was on the com now. "He is not Galra." 

"No. I'm human." Hunk confirmed. "And it is true, we can take you somewhere safe, away from here if you want. We can get you food."

"Nona?" The new voice asked. Lance could hear movement. "He is solid."

"Dashti, you are so reckless." The deeper voice that must have been Nona hissed.

"Nona, if he was sent to harm us, he could have by now. If he was a ghost from the Soul Snatcher I would not have been able to touch him."

"Perhaps." Nona's voice remained wary. "You said we, are there others?"

"Yes, Pidge and Keith are close by, Lance and Shiro are searching the rest of the tower to check for any other prisoners." Hunk explained.

"Don't!" Nona hissed. "Don't. We are the only ones here. The others are gone - taken." 

"But we have to be sure," Hunk's voice carried a frown.

"Hey, no worries Hunk, I'm in the top room of the tower and there's nothing here. Just a weird room with bottles and torture devices and creepy Galra glowy stuff." Lance answered him as he pulled the drive from the computer. “I’m about to head out.”

"Don't touch anything!" Pidge warned.

"Like I would touch any of this stuff? Well, other than the computer, which I’ve downloaded. It's like a wizard's lab up here." Lance shuddered looking around.

"Tell your friends to stop!" Nona’s panicked voice echoed.

"What? Why?"

"It isn't safe. The soulless ones still wander." Nona whispered.

"Um…Shiro, Lance, you guys copy that." Hunk quickly reached out to them.

"I got it, but I haven't seen or heard anything moving up here. It's creepy and that just made it way worse, but I got nothing." Lance looked around the room again. There was no one here and he hadn’t seen anyone on his way up. He was certain he’d checked the entire tower on the way up. It wasn’t that big. 

"Shiro?" Keith asked after a moment.

Silence answered his call.


	2. Chapter 2

"Shiro, please come in?" Keith’s voice took a desperate edge in the coms. Shiro frowned as apparently his responses were not getting through. He’d suspected, but this confirmed it. He looked back and the shambling orange creatures with glowing purple eyes were getting closer. They could really shamble fast. As far as he could see down the tunnel the eyes were focused on him.

“Keith, I’m coming, I’ve run into a problem. Get the prisoners out of there. We need to get everyone to the lions!” Shiro activated his arm and swung out as a clawed hand reached for him. He cut into the creature's arm and dark orange fluid sprayed out at him, but the creature did not cry out or slow down.

In the purple torch light Shiro could see them. They had orange skin. They were vaguely humanoid in shape with two overly long arms, two legs, and a slender build. They had coarse hair in a darker orange that covered the tops of their heads and went down the back of their necks. They didn't have ears that he could see. They had tails that drug the ground behind them with the hair extending to the end of the tail and ending in a tuft. Their eyes were glowing purple. They had three fingers on each hand that ended in long curved claws and they did not wear shoes as their feet were hooves. They wore the typical Galran prison wear. The only sounds they had made were a hollow groan of sorts. Their mouths hung open and saliva ran from them.

"Alright, I'm heading to Shiro. Lance, Hunk, Pidge, get these people to the lions." Keith ordered.

"Hey, I'm up here in the attic." Lance groused with frustration.

"So get down here." Keith snapped.

“No! Don’t come to me. I’m coming to you!” Shiro tried again swinging his arm in a wide arc. He cringed as a hand and most of another arm thumped onto the floor, but the hoard was not slowing down. He found himself at a staircase and began backing up as quickly as he could - slash, move, slash move. 

"Nona, can you tell me anything more about these soulless ones?" Hunk’s voice was on the com again and Shiro tried to listen.

"They are what remains of the spirit after the Soul Snatcher takes their essence - their soul." She imparted gravely. "They are angry and apart from their essence they are mindless and violent."

"Freakin’ zombies." Pidge muttered under her breath and Shiro would have to agree. 

"Shiro, please come in!" Keith practically yelled.

“Keith, I’ve run into these Soulless ones and she’s right. I’m coming to you." 

"I'm coming to you, Shiro!" Keith called.

"No! I'm coming to you!" Shiro shouted desperate from them to hear him.

“Shiro?” Keith answered and Shiro felt a wave of relief, finally he was in contact again as he reached the top of the stairs three levels down.

"And I'm not alone. Meet me two levels down at the south stairs." Shiro's words were interspersed with grunts as he continued to fight off the creatures. As he cleared the stairs he took one last swipe and ran for the next set of stairs. The room behind him filled with the creatures. 

"Shiro?" Lance asked, worried.

"Lance, get down here. Find a spot where you have a clear shot at the stairwell coming into the main hall. Keith and I will try to slow them down here, but we'll need you to cover our backs when we are ready to go. Hunk, Pidge, not to rush you guys, but sooner is better than later." Shiro instructed breathlessly as he moved as quickly as he could. The Soulless creatures moved faster in the open area too.

"We are moving out." Pidge announced.

"I’m in position." Lance reassured.

"Whoa, there are a lot of them." Keith’s voice was behind him and then his pseudo brother was at his side sword swinging into a creature that had been reaching for Shiro. 

"Yeah, They don't seem to have any type of strategy or attack pattern so they are easy to hit." Shiro smiled over to Keith as the creature he’d sliced continued to claw toward him. "Of course, they also don't seem to care if you cut off their arms."  
"They really are zombies?!" Hunk screamed.

"As close as I've ever seen." Keith grunted as he swung his sword again.

"I hate this place." Hunk whimpered.

"So move it," Pidge snarked.

Shiro and Keith worked side by side cutting down attacker after attacker and they just kept coming. Shiro was starting to get winded. He’d been fighting constantly since he’d encountered them and even his stamina had limits. He could see sweat dripping from Keith’s face that was splattered with orange gore. 

"We have to move up a level." Shiro finally admitted. They needed the distance; it was getting too hard to move around the bodies that were stacking up.

"Yeah." Keith agreed.

"You guys okay?" Lance called. 

"Yeah, the floor is getting a little slick down here." Keith's voice sounded nearly nauseous.

"Oh that's gross." Hunk moaned.

"Don't you dare puke in Green!" Pidge snarled.

"How is the transport going?" Shiro asked as he and Keith began running across to the next staircase. .

"I think we can get the rest in Yellow, we'll need another 5 minutes to get them here and another 5 to get them loaded." Pidge reported while handing a bag up to a mother that was clinging to a small child in Green's bay.

"How many prisoners are there?" Shiro frowned in concern.

"About thirty adults, but there were also children and elders that they had stashed in another room." Hunk explained.

"Do the best you can Hunk." Shiro answered as he sliced the arm off another mindless zombie before it could rake it's claw down Keith's back. "We'll hold them here as long as we can."

***

Lance watched and waited as Pidge and Hunk moved prisoners past his position and down the hall to the lions. They kind of reminded him of a cartoon giraffe, too orange to be real, with big yellow eyes and large dark pupils. Hunk was herding the last group past him when something went wrong. Keith cried out and Shiro yelled at nearly the same time.

"Shiro?" Lance asked, sitting up shifting his bayard into it's rifle form. 

"We're coming up fast. Keith got hit." Shiro's voice was strained.

"Hunk, you got that?" Lance, taking aim at the stairway.

"Yeah, moving faster." Hunk sounded out of breath. 

Lance watched as Shiro appeared in the stairway. He was coated with a dark orange liquid. Keith was slung over his shoulders in a fireman's carry, red mixing with the orange as it ran from Keith's left thigh.

Just behind them were orange aliens that looked similar to the prisoners, but instead of bright yellow eyes they had glowing purple eyes. Lance fired into the leg of the first one and it didn't even slow down. He tried again targeting a knee. This time it's leg bent for a moment, but only for a moment and it was moving forward again. 

"What stops these things?" Lance growled. 

"Try head shots, Lance, they're zombies." Pidge suggested. 

Shiro was carrying Keith down the hall the way Hunk and the aliens had just gone. Lance stood and fired into the crowd of orange zombies cresting the top of the stairs. 

"Great." Lance nearly puked with the first shot he squeezed off exploded the alien’s head in a spray of orange gore. He fired again and again and they just kept coming. Lance was starting to tire. He began moving down from his perch and walking backwards toward the door. He was slowing down and they were making headway. They had pushed to three steps out from the stairs and were spreading out into the room. The pile of bodies was offering them cover. He backed toward the hallway. He was almost at the doorway to the hall when he felt a presence behind him. He jerked and spun his weapon around only to have it revert to bayard form when it was Shiro's grim face that greeted him.

"Let's get out of here." Shiro gripped his shoulder.

"Yeah, I've got enough material for a month of nightmares." Lance whispered as they turned and ran from the scene, the mindless aliens continuing to pour from the stairway.


	3. Chapter 3

"Allura?"

Allura raised her head from the screen and smiled up at Hunk's tentative face, "Come in, Hunk. How are our guests?"

"They're okay, Allura. I think, lots better than they were." Hunk frowned. "Still scared. I turned down the lights for them to sleep and half of them freaked out screaming and the rest were almost catatonic." Hunk took a deep breath. "I got them set up with some lights. Allura, I think that you should talk with their leader, Nona. What she was telling me about souls and those creatures we saw…they are still afraid and I…" Hunk ran a hand through his hair. "I tried to tell them it was okay, that they'd be safe here, but I think… I know you're busy and all, but if you could…"

Allura smiled softly and reached for his hand, "Do you think if I were to speak with them, that it would make them feel safer?"

"Yeah." Hunk returned her smile. "I think it would. I just didn't want to bother you, I know you were working on finding them a new home."

"Yes, but if speaking with them will make their journey more comfortable then it is certainly worth my time. Besides, I need a break from looking at maps and speaking with our guests is a welcome diversion." Allura rose gracefully and linked her arm with Hunk. "Perhaps you could tell me what you've learned of them so far as we walk?"

"Oh sure, they called their planet Gertex and themselves Gertexi. The Galra had done something that poisoned their planet and made all of the plants and wildlife die. Then all of their people were captured and made to work for the Galra mining and building ships until there wasn't any mineral left. The people who lived through that far were taken to that castle and have been imprisoned since. They said there were over a million people on their planet when the Galra came and one hundred thousand went into that castle. Now there are only thirty four of them." Hunk took a shuddering breath and Allura rubbed his arm comfortingly.

"It happened a long time ago before any of these people were born and none of them really know what exactly happened. They were all born in captivity in that place we found them. Apparently the leader of the Galra on the planet was one of those Druids, because they said he could do magic and that he created those poor creatures that attacked us. I guess he's been experimenting on them and torturing them for generations. The only history they have is what was passed down through stories."

"Oh, what remarkable people to have survived at all." Allura wiped a tear from her check.

Hunk smiled and led Allura down to the area where the Gertexi were living. They had lights set up all around the parameter of their sleeping area and then an additional light with each family. Even though the overhead lighting was currently at daylight settings, the extra lights burned brightly. 

"Nona." Hunk greeted an elderly Gertexi woman who stood and walked forward as soon as they entered the room. "This is Princess Allura."

"I am honored to meet you, Nona." Allura inclined her head to the leader.

"I am also honored to meet one that would defy the Galra." Nona touched her middle finger to her forehead and then to her chin in a formal greeting.

Hunk wandered off to the visit with the other Gertexi he'd befriended. He saw Dashti was curled up on her cushion asleep and was a little disappointed as he'd hoped to talk with her more. She wasn't as old as Nona, but she knew a lot of the history stories of her people. She had been trying to explain a traditional recipe to Hunk the last time they'd spoken and he wanted to clarify a few points. So far the people seemed content with food goo, but Hunk knew just how comforting it could be to have something from home. He had settled in playing a game of catch with two Gertexi children when a horrible screaming shattered the pleasant game. He turned and was horrified to see Dashti flailing about in her bed screaming. No one was reaching out to help her or wake her from her dream so Hunk rushed over. He heard voices telling him to stop and even shrugged off a few hands that seemed intent on holding him back.

When he reached her side she was still screaming. Her eyes were open, but rolled back so that none of the black showed. Her long limbs thrashed and the nearly split his lip when her fist collided with his face. Hunk wrapped his arms around hers and tried to hold her still. He called to her, trying to get her to wake up. Her body began to shake, to convulse and her head banged up and down. Hunk was glad for the cushion she was laying on otherwise he was sure she'd give herself a concussion. He tried calling her name louder, practically yelling at her to wake up. The convulsions got stronger and then deep orange blood frothed from her mouth and her body gave two strong lurches and stopped all together. Hunk listened for her heartbeat near her middle where he'd been shown and he did not hear anything. She wasn't breathing. She was dead.

He slowly pulled back and laid her arms on her chest. He wiped a tear or two from his face and looked up to find a circle of Gertexi faces. They all had tears running from their eyes, but none of them had moved closer than three feet away. It was as though they were afraid.

"Why didn't you help her?" Hunk asked of them, angry for their inaction.

"She could not be helped." Nona's voice echoed behind him. "And now, I fear, neither can you."

"What do you mean?!" Allura's voice cut through the fear that shocked Hunk's body at Nona's words.

"The Soul Snatcher moves through our minds. He haunts our dreams. Sometimes he tortures and kills his victims slowly over time, breaking them down until he can steal the soul from their body and turn them into his slaves - the Soulless Ones and sometimes he attacks suddenly without warning and crushes the soul within. They would not touch her, Paladin, because they feared that he would travel into them and take their lives as well." Nona shook her head sadly, clearly convinced that this is what would happen to Hunk.

"But how do you know about this thing? How do you know it moves from person to person if it kills like this?" Allura asked cautiously, wary eyes on Hunk.

"Stories from those who became soulless. Stories of the horrible nightmares that haunted them, of the terrible things he did to them when he appeared in their dreams, of how they would try desperately to stay awake, to avoid sleeping, to try to escape him, but how they always died. How can I know that the Soul Snatcher killed Dashti, because I have heard screams like that over and over and over and I will never forget how they sound or what they mean." Nona held her head high and spoke with authority.

"May we take her to our medical bay? Maybe we can understand better how she died with a scan?" Allura approached tentatively. She did not know the death customs of these people.

Nona looked over to a younger male Gertexi, who nodded curtly. Allura wondered if it was Dashti's son or brother.

"Yes, you may scan her body, but you must promise to incinerate her body before the day is over. We do not wish her to become one of the soulless and it is the only way we know to prevent that from happening. You will return her ashes to her family?" Nona asked.

"Of course, if that is your wish."

"It is. And, I am sorry to ask this, because he has already become dear to my people, but the Yellow Paladin must leave and not return amongst my people. We do not wish to watch him die." 

Hunk made a sad little strangled sound, but stood up with Dashti's body and walked to Allura. The Gertexi people parted before him, many with fresh tears and several covering their faces.

"Do not give up hope, Nona. The Yellow Paladin is strong and our technology is advanced. We will do anything to save him." Allura nodded curtly. She was not just giving up like that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't yell at me...mind the tags

****

By the time Shiro got to the medbay Hunk was lying on one of the medical examination tables and Coran was busy waving some sort of metal bar over him.

"Now, this scan will detect the presence of foreign quintessence. Not a very common malady, but we did have a few messy moments in the early days of alchemy. Why I remember the time that a student managed to mingle their quintessence with that of a Yalmor. The poor child was chewing on the ears of her classmates the rest of the quintant." Coran laughed, eyes watching the scan closely, a hand gently resting on Hunk's shoulder.

Hunk for his part appeared relatively calm. Shiro knew that they'd started running tests right away. Allura and Keith were working on the body in the next room. Pidge had gone to sit with the Gertexi people, as she was the one they were the most familiar with after Hunk. Lance was pacing nervously by Hunk's bed. He looked up and gave Shiro a tentative smile when he heard the door open.

"Any news?" Shiro asked as he walked up beside Coran.

"Not yet. I've run three different scans so far. No poison, nothing showing up unusual in his typical human body readings, and no signs of foreign objects." Coran rattled off as he waved the bar a few more times. "I'm just finishing up with the quintessence scan and then we will take a reading from this."

"Hey, Shiro." Hunk gave Shiro a smile, but he could tell the young man was nervous, and no wonder the alien had practically declared him dead.

"It's going to be okay, Hunk." Shiro gave him a firm nod and gave his forearm a gentle squeeze.

"Of course it is!" Lance chimed in. "Coran's up to his third scan and no worries. Heck, even if the crazy stuff is real, it doesn't mean it would affect humans. Besides it sounds like a ghost story." 

"I don't like ghost stories." Hunk whined.

"I know that, but they also aren't real so what I'm saying is you'll be fine. I'm not worried at all." Lance gave Hunk a broad smile and if Shiro couldn't see his fingers tapping nervously against his leg, he might have even believed that he wasn't worried.

"If you aren't worried then why are you here?" Hunk asked with a frown.

"Well I am worried about what we're having for supper and if you're here too long it will be food goo." Lance made an exaggerated "yuck" face and Hunk laughed at him.

Coran, who had moved to a console to look over the readings frowned. "Food goo contains all the required nutrition."

"But none of the required taste." Lance added and got a full laugh from Hunk and a chuckle from Shiro. 

"Alright, hmm… well now." Coran began looking at the data and then back to Hunk.

"What? What is it?" Hunk sat partially up to get a look at the console.

Shiro moved closed to Lance. He pressed into his side and patted the fingers that had stopped tapping his thigh and were digging in instead. Lance looked up at Shiro with a concerned frown, but Shiro just patted his hand still. Lance took a breath and focused back on Hunk and Coran.

Shiro allowed himself a small smile for his victory. Lance hid his anxiety well, but once Shiro knew to look for it the signs jumped out at him. Shiro often found himself glancing in the direction of the young man. He was brave in a way that took Shiro's breath away in fear for Lance. He was funny in a loud and obvious way that made Shiro cringe and made him jealous all at the same time. Shiro could never be that free and he found it refreshing. Lance, for all his bluster, cared deeply for the people around him and worked hard for their team. He knew how to be a part of a family and he was teaching them all each day what that meant. Shiro had a lot of admiration for him. Shiro was man enough to admit that he was also very attracted to the dark skinned younger man…not that much younger he reminded himself…but as his commanding officer he just couldn't act on those feelings. There were reasons that relationships like that weren't allowed. Mistakes could be made. People could get hurt. Shiro, as the commander, had to keep his head clear. And yet here he was again focused on Lance when there were other things that needed to be dealt with. 

"Well, I do see a trace of something here. A different quintessence, but it is very light." Coran pointed to the screen where a faint purple spot was rapidly disappearing into the yellow that filled the Hunk shaped image.

"Different quintessence? Am I going to chew someone's ear? I don't want to chew ears." Hunk wrung his hands.

"Well, no. Yalmor quintessence is more of an earthy brown. And you can see this is fading away." Coran pointed. He brought the metal bar over to Hunk again and waved it over his shoulder where the spot had been. The screen on the console updated and the spot was gone.

"So, Hunk's quintessence ate the other one?" Lance offered.

"No, well, maybe? Either way it is gone now." Coran was still frowning.

"Coran, what is it?" Shiro knew there was more.

"Purple quintessence is typical of Galra and more specifically of Galran Druids." Coran twirled his moustache, "It could be a residue of some sort of spell, but it doesn't seem to have taken any hold on Hunk."

"Maybe it doesn't work on humans, like I said." Lance gave Hunk a reassuring smile because the big man's face had gone very pale at the mention of druid.

"Or could it be that Hunk, as a Paladin, has strong enough quintessence to fight it off?" Shiro gave Hunk a smile as well.

"Either is possible." Coran tapped his finger on his chin. "I will need to speak with Allura and compare to the readings that she got. But for now, Number Two, I see nothing here that indicates anything wrong with you or any danger to you."

"Oh, thank you." Hunk grabbed Coran's hand and gave it a good shake. 

"Come on, Hunk, if we hurry you can still make supper." Lance grabbed Hunk's hands and pulled him up from the table.

"Okay, okay, Lance." Hunk laughed as he followed his friend out of the medbay.

"Coran?" Shiro asked softly.

"I don't know, Number One. I've never seen anything like it before. I don't see any reason to worry for him, but we must be cautious." Coran frowned as he looked at the console again. "Druids are nasty business and we cannot let our guard down."


	5. Chapter 5

Lance sat on the stool in the kitchen watching Hunk work. He was trying to create a special recipe for their alien guests, something from their home. Lance smiled as he watched Hunk frown and stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth as he concentrated on measuring some ingredient. Even when Hunk made up recipes he measured and wrote down everything so that he could do it again. Lance was relatively certain that if they hadn't left Earth Hunk would have had his own chain of restaurants before they had graduated from the Garrison. Hunk's hands flew as he whisked together the ingredients in a large metal bowl. He was now smiling to himself and Lance knew that whatever it was had turned out the way that he hoped.

"Success?" Lance smiled.

"Well, I can't say that for sure until it's finished baking, but the batter seems right to make a really fluffy cake and the filling is cooking down nicely. I really hope that it is like what they remember." Hunk suddenly frowned. "But…well I guess I can't go and take it to them. At least not until Allura and Coran are done testing. They're afraid of me."

"Well that's crazy talk there." Lance quipped frustrated for the sadness in Hunk's face. "But, hey, I can take it down to them when it is ready. No worries."

"I would really appreciate it!" Hunk gave Lance a relieved smile. "Thanks, hermano."

"Hey, I don't mind bragging on the fact that my bestest friend like brother is the most amazing chef in the entire universe." Lance gave Hunk his full on cheesy grin and shot him some finger guns as Hunk poured the batter into a baking dish.

Hunk laughed and shook his head, "I don't know about that. I just hope it turns out as good as it seems now."

"I have complete faith." Lance replied with a nod. He watched Hunk carefully place the pan inside the Altean oven and wipe his hands on the apron he was wearing. Lance's stomach gave a growl and he licked his lips. "And now that's in the oven, what are you making for us?"

"Sometimes I think the only reason we are friends is because I feed you." Hunk laughed.

"Hey, it's your fault. I've been devoted since that time you shared your snack with me in elementary." Lance laughed.

"Don't you know you don't feed strays? They will just follow you home." Pidge snarked as she came through the door.

"Oh ha ha." Lance called flatly. "I like people that can't cook." Lance referred back to the earlier argument.

"Yeah, I mean Shiro can't boil water." Pidge shot a sideways glance at Lance with a smirk on her lips.

"Pidge!" Lance warned turning to face her.

"Pidge, don't tease him. He is not ready to admit that his feelings are ridiculously obvious to everyone but him and Shiro." Hunk gave her a wink and she laughed.

"Guys." Lance whined.

"Oh, you need some cheese with that whine?" Pidge picked.

Lance turned hopeful eyes to Hunk, "Do we have cheese?"

"Not yet." Hunk shook his head. The latest batch from Kaltendecker was going well, but wasn't ready yet. Lance frowned dramatically and gave Hunk his best puppy dog eyes. "Well, I do have the ingredients for a batch of not quite garlic knots."

"I knew you loved me." Lance smiled brightly.

It wasn't long until Hunk was putting the final touches on the fantastically fluffy green cake with golden filling. Hunk had to remind Lance three times that it was for the guests and that he was not to sample it while he was delivering it. Lance laughed and headed down to deliver the cake. He would never mar Hunk's masterpiece. Now if the guests offered him a piece once he was down there that was an entirely different thing.

He set off on his way with a grin on his face. First a little desert with new friends and then back for some garlic knots with old friends. He wondered if Shiro would like the garlic knots. He knew he liked chili and pizza. He talked once about learning to make sushi, but not really liking it that much. He liked tea and he liked bean buns. Lance distracted himself wondering what sort of food they would eat if they went on a date. He hummed and imagined that it might be a fancy restaurant with a tureen of bisque, or maybe a little shack on the ocean with a basket of fried scallops and calamari, or maybe a mom and pop diner with chili cheese fries. He knew it was crazy thinking an amazing guy like Shiro would ever be out on a date with him, but it didn't really seem to do any harm to dream a little. He imagined that Shiro would be the complete gentleman on a date - the kind that opened doors and pulled out chairs, who insisted on picking up the bill but grudgingly allowed Lance to pay half, the kind that made sure he was comfortable and asked instead of assuming - Lance sighed, it was a really nice dream.

He arrived in the Gertexi room. It was quite and somber. When he had last been here they had been celebrating their freedom and now it seemed as though all of the light had been drained from the room.

"Hello. I was told that this cake was similar to something called 'Da-saam-ram,'" Lance pronounced carefully. "Hunk wanted me to bring it to you. He's sorry he scared you."

"Dear Paladin. The Yellow one did not scare us. We fear for him." Nona spoke sadly. "We grieve for him because we know what the Soul Snatcher can do. We know what awaits him." She shook her head and stood from where she had been sitting with a group of older Gertexi. "We are so sorry for bringing you pain." She reached for the large cake and sat it on the table. "You take us from darkness and give us comfort, but we are tainted with it and we have carried poison into your home." She turned sad eyes to him. "Tell the Yellow one that we thank him for his kindness and beg his forgiveness. We can only hope to find peace in death."

Lance backed away from the scene. The old woman was cutting pieces from the cake and handing it out to her people. It was like a strange kind of communion - like they were all preparing for death and it was all too much for Lance. He shivered as he moved back into the hall. Taking of death and doom and especially of Hunk suffering were not the kind of things that Lance liked to do. He hurried back down the hall appetite gone, but his need to see Hunk and wrap him in a huge hug was strong.

He knew something was wrong as soon as he entered the kitchen. It was quiet. The kitchen was never quite when Hunk was in it. There was a bowl on the floor with what looked like partially made dough oozing onto the floor. The oven was open. The lights flickered and went out. Lance held his breath as he suddenly couldn't see anything. The darkness dissipated only by a faint glow coming from the counter. It looked like Pidge's computer was sitting there open. But Pidge wasn't seated at the counter. No one called out when the lights went out. No mocking voice at the unmanly squeak that had escaped his lips. He crept forward cautiously, dread filling his heart. As he rounded the counter his heart froze in his chest and he could only stare. Pidge lay on the floor, sightless eyes staring through broken lenses, the dull blue glow from her screen reflecting on the broken glass. Her neck twisted impossibly to the side, her limbs akimbo on the floor, there was no doubt that she was dead. Lance had to check anyway. He fell to his knees and crawled forward. His body felt numb and cold all at the same time. He reached out a trembling hand to her neck and found it cold, no pulse beat beneath that skin. He turned and vomited on the floor. He wrapped his arms around his torso and rocked as a sob tore it's way through his body. Pidge was dead.

Pidge was dead.

He couldn't process beyond that point. His mind numb to the pain. So he sat and rocked and sobbed.


	6. Chapter 6

****

A sort of dim light began to creep in from the edges of his vision, a dim version of the usual Altean teal lighting seemed to be coming from points along the wall. A backup lighting system, he guessed, for when there was a power issue or maybe Coran or Allura had activated some sort of emergency back up. Thinking of the Alteans reminded him that there were other friends on this castle ship that might need him and that he needed to push through and find them. Had Hunk done this? Lance physically shook his head in denial at the idea of his gentle friend committing such a horrendous act. It had to be something or someone else and that meant that they were all still in danger. Lance reached over and gently lifted the broken glasses from Pidge's face. He carefully folded them and placed them on her still chest. He felt like he was detached from his body as he slid his hand over to close her eyes. Then with a final kiss to her forehead he lifted himself to his feet and left the kitchen. 

His first stop was his room. He needed his armor and bayard if he was going to be a help to anyone. He moved quickly and quietly through the halls, worrying growing in his gut as he didn't encounter another soul on his way. He was able to get dressed and move out very quickly, all of the princesses drills weren't for nothing. He edged his way down the hall, bayard at the ready. He had decided to head for the bridge as he hoped that was where the others would have gone when the power went down. 

He was nearly there when he heard faint voices, as he moved closer he could hear Allura's clear tone and Shiro's deep voice. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing that at least two of his friends were alive. 

"Shiro? Allura?" He called out as he stepped into the room, warning them of his presence. They both turned to him away from a hologram of the ship that they were looking over.

"Lance, I'm so glad you are okay." Shiro walked to him and clasped his hand on Lance's shoulder. "We haven't been able to contact anyone since the power went down and we've been trying to figure out what is going on. Ship wide communication is out. We've just gotten some back up power going and we can see that there is some sort of major damage to a power conduit near the kitchen. We were afraid there had been an explosion. Have you seen anyone else…" Something in Lance's face must have made him stop. He took a deep breath and swallowed before starting again, "Lance?"

"Pidge." Lance managed to choke out. "Pidge is dead."

"What?!" Allura gasped and fell to her knees.

"How?" Shiro's grip on his shoulder tightened painfully.

"Her neck was broken. I found her…in the kitchen." Lance delivered in a broken voice.

"But…who?" Allura's face was pale and tears streaked down from her jeweled eyes. "Surely not…Hunk?"

"I don't know. I wasn't there." Lance replied flatly. He didn't want to believe it was Hunk, but given what had happened, what had been said, it was the logical conclusion.

"Where were you?!" Shiro gave his shoulder a shake this time and his eyes sparked angrily. "You were supposed to be watching him!"

"I…he…I was delivering a present to the Gertexi for him. He asked me to since they were scared of him. Pidge…Pidge was with him." Lance looked down at the floor. He'd failed his friends. He'd failed Hunk and he'd failed Pidge.

"And now she's dead!" Shiro hissed, pushing Lance away from him.

"I…I didn’t think…"

"That's right, you didn't think!" Shiro spat.

"Shiro, that is not helping. We must find our friends. If this is Hunk's doing we must find him and contain him until we can find some cure." Allura pulled herself up and straightened her shoulders. She turned back to the hologram and being working at the console. "I believe that I can get it to show life signs." Her fingers flew across the console for several seconds and the hologram changed, glowing dots appearing. There were a cluster of pale orange dots in the room where the Gertexi were. There was a bright red dot and a deep orange dot in the med bay. On the bridge a pink, blue, and black dot were clustered. There was no other dot on the hologram.

"Does that mean Hunk is…?" Lance couldn't bring himself to say it.

"I don't know." Allura whispered.

"We have to search the ship." Shiro announced, his voice cold and detached. "I'll head this way through the kitchen area and around where the power outage was detected to see if I can pick up a trail. Lance, you go check on our guests, make sure they are all accounted for and secure their location. Allura, if you feel the bridge is secure, would you check on Coran and Keith?"

"Yes. I'll secure this area. Only you, Lance, and I will be able to access this area when I am done. We can only be certain that we are not compromised at the moment." Allura nodded curtly and went to work.

"Shiro?" Lance reached out a hand, but pulled it back at the cold look he received.

"Not now. We have work to do. Let's see if we can stop anyone else from dying today." Shiro turned sharply and marched from the room.

"Lance." Allura spoke softly. "Just go. See to the Gertexi. We will discuss this later." When Lance turned she was shaking her head staring down at the console, disappointment plain in her face.

"Allura, I'm sor…"

"NO!" Allura looked up, eyes bright with unshed tears. "No," softer that time, "I can't…" her shoulders hitched. "Not yet, Lance, I just can't think about it."

"Okay." Lance. "Be safe, Allura."

Allura nodded curtly and Lance turned and walked out of the door in a daze. He'd not really thought about the fact that Pidge's death was his fault. The fact that if Hunk survived he would blame Lance for letting it happen. How could Hunk live with Pidge's death on his hands? How could he?


	7. Chapter 7

Lance crept down the hall. The dim lighting fit his mood perfectly. He felt like monsters were going to jump out of the shadows and one of them would have his best friend's face on it. His skin crawled as he made his way toward the room where the refugees were staying. He couldn't hear any voices. When he'd come before there had been a soft murmur of voices - a soft comforting sound of life - and now there was nothing. The silence was eerie, it was wrong. When he turned into the final hall he could see that the door was open. Still no voices, but there was sounds now, shuffling, clicking, sounds of movement and wrong, wrong, wrong - everything in his mind was screaming, "Wrong!" He inched closer, dread filling him, when movement in the doorway made him stop. Something small was moving toward him, rolling down the hall toward him in an uneven jerky pace, before landing at his feet. He swallowed back the scream as Nona's head dripped orange blood from the severed neck. It looked like it had been torn from her body, stretched and jagged and ripped apart, orange blood smeared over her face and down the hall. 

He swallowed back his nausea and moved forward. As he entered the room a scene of horror and grief met his eyes. Body parts were strewn about the room and blood smeared over every surface. Severed stumps, heads, bodies that looked torn in half, bits and pieces coating every surface. He moved carefully into the room, eyes scanning for any sign of movement, any sign of life, any sign of hope. Nothing. There was nothing. The sounds from earlier had stopped. The only thing he could hear was the blood rushing in his head. He tried to take a calming breath, but the smell of alien blood filled his nose and he staggered backwards. He couldn't hold his stomach any longer though when he stepped on something soft. Looking down he found his foot resting on a small hand attached to a small arm with a severed stump. He pictured one of the Gertexi children reaching for a piece of cake only a few dobashes earlier. A gentle smile as the hand closed on the treat, a treat that was likely made by the hands that ended that smile, the hands that dismembered a child. He bent at the waist and vomited bile. There wasn't anything left in his stomach and yet it cramped over and over again like he was trying to expel the horrible thoughts from his mind. Tears ran down his face and his body trembled. He really wasn't aware of how long he stayed like that before straightening up. There was no one left for him to save here. The Gertexi were gone. There were others who might need his help. 

He moved down the halls completely numb. Tears still streamed down his face. He felt gutted, like he'd never feel whole again. He had to get to the infirmary, to talk to Allura, to talk to Coran; they would know what to do. They would know what to do. Lance repeated this mantra to himself as he moved. His lips tracing the words, offering him a sort of comfort, a purpose. He moved robotically almost like he wasn't in control of his body, like it moved on it's own. Like he was drifting forward instead of walking, being pulled against his will deeper into the castle. 

He was nearly half way there when the sound of rushing footsteps stopped him, clicking boot heels, running, stumbling, and running again. He knelt in the hall and brought his bayard up in rifle form and waited to see who would come around the corner. He prepared himself. He would need to stop Hunk if it was him. He braced himself. He could do this. Hunk needed to be stopped so that they could help him. He wasn't ready though; he wasn't nearly ready.

Allura staggered into view, blood dripping from her lips, her right arm pressed to a gaping wound on her side, blood streaming down her leg onto the floor. She was barely holding herself up, pressing her other hand against the wall. Lance dropped his bayard and leapt forward in time to catch her as she fell. Her mouth moved soundlessly and tears streamed from her eyes. The wound in her side was massive, like a chunk had been ripped from her, its edges charred and burnt, and Lance knew in his heart what weapon could make a wound like that.

"No." He whispered. He brushed her hair back from her face. Her body struggled to breath. He could feel the muscles bunch and fight for each breath. Her face was drawn with pain and despair and he knew in his heart that he could not save her. Blood pooled around him. She gasped for breath, her eyes bored into him. He could feel the blame in them, like they were stabbing him with their intensity. He only nodded. He deserved her blame. He deserved her pain, but he couldn't take it from her. "Allura, I'm sorry." She shuddered one last time and then went limp in his arms. He used the hand that had been brushing back her hair to close her eyes. She was gone.

He laid her gently down on the floor of the hall. It felt so wrong to leave her there. She shouldn't be alone. He shook as his mind tried to process what was happening, but it only stuttered forward. He had others to find. There were still others he might save. He would deal with his guilt later. He would deal with his pain later. Now he had to move. He had to move quickly. He picked up his bayard and began to run. He followed the trail of Allura's blood. It was leading to the infirmary.


	8. Chapter 8

Lance wasn’t sure how he got to the infirmary. He didn’t remember the steps that brought him here. Now that he was here he wished that he could leave. Pidge was dead. Allura was dead. The Gertexi were dead. Coran and Shiro were fighting Hunk. Lance stood frozen in horror as Shiro slashed forward with his glowing purple arm. Hunk countered with his bayard. His eyes glowed purple. His face snarled. Blood was splattered on his paladin armor. Orange blood, red blood, a macabre sunset of colors smeared down his front. He growled and pushed Shiro back. Hunk growled, a mindless animal sound. Shiro screamed back and his voice was nearly as animalistic. 

“No.” Lance shook his head. He couldn’t move. It was like he was frozen. He wanted to help. He wanted it to stop. He wanted to save them all, but he couldn’t move. He ordered, he begged his body to move, but it wouldn’t all he could do was watch. 

Hunk turned. He fired. He fired his blaster at Coran. The old Altean dodged, catching a glancing blow to his shoulder. He cried out in pain. Lance’s eyes drifted behind Coran. He looked over to the pods, specifically to one pod, the pod that should have been glowing, the pod that Keith should have been healing in. Only it wasn’t glowing. It was dark. It was cracked. In it a dark shadowy image that could only be Keith, he’d recognize that mullet anywhere. He heard Shrio scream out again and he felt the heartbreak in the sound. Shiro’s brother was gone. He needed to help, to stop this, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t do anything.

His attention shifted back to the fight. Hunk had growled again and was now sporting a burn across his chest and blood was dripping from his thigh. Coran stuck forward with a staff trying to knock the bayard from Hunk’s hand as Shiro struck out from behind, slashing him across the back with his arm. Hunk howled and brought his bayard up and fired. 

Lance couldn’t move, but his body felt like the blast had blown right through him. Through him and not through Coran. Through his heart and not through the body of the old Altean. Striking him not throwing Coran back across the room. Coran’s eyes blown wide, Coran’s mouth open in a scream that never came out, Coran lying dead at his feet. Another friend was gone. Another one that he couldn’t save. He looked up from Coran’s body to watch Shiro drive his arm through Hunk’s back and out his front. The glowing purple eyes did not even register the wound. Hunk growled and pulled himself forward off of Shiro’s arm. He turned the weapon and fired at Shiro.

Lance still couldn’t move. He fought his body, but nothing happened. He tried to make his arms move, make his legs move, scream - anything - but he couldn’t. He couldn’t move. He was frozen. 

The blast hit Shiro in his human arm. It burned away before his eyes as Shiro screamed. Shiro spun around and brought his glowing Galra arm to bear. He drove it downward, through Hunk’s neck. Hunk’s head fell backwards onto the floor. His body fell to his knees. His body fell to the floor. Hunk was gone. Lance trembled. Shiro’s eyes rose up to meet his eyes. They were dark, accusing.

“How could you just stand there?” Shiro hissed. He walked toward Lance. His blood ran onto the floor from where his arm used to be. 

Lance starred as Shiro approached. He still couldn’t even make a sound. He could feel the tears on his cheeks, but he was cold. He was frozen. He felt like he was already dead. It didn’t surprise him so much then when Shiro drove the glowing arm into him. It made a sort of sense to him at that point. 

It didn't hurt. He stared down at the arm in his gut and the first thing he thought was that it didn't hurt. It seemed like it should, but he couldn't feel anything at all. He was numb. He looked up past the glow of purple into stone hard eyes, eyes that were cold - unforgiving. Shiro stared back at him, nothing but anger in his face.

"How could you? It's all your fault. It's your fault that they're dead." Shiro's voice was like ice and it sent shivers through his body. The shivers turned into waves of cold nausea washing out from the arm in his gut. The waves brought the smell of burnt flesh and the copper of blood. The smell was followed by the sounds - the sizzle of the arm burned into him, the squelch of blood and torn flesh when it was pulled from him, the splatter of blood as it hit the floor in front of him. 

There still wasn't any pain. There wasn't any pain as his eyes closed, as his body tipped forward, or when he hit the ground. It wasn't until he tried to push himself back up that the pain blazed through him like an inferno ignited in his gut. He stopped moving his arms and laid his cheek on the cold floor, gasping for breath. 

Lance turned to look up at Shiro. His heart broke. There was nothing but hatred in Shiro's face and Lance knew he deserved it. Everything was gone, everyone was gone. Pidge was dead. Allura was dead. Keith was dead. Coran was dead. Hunk was dead. It was his fault. He'd failed them all. He'd failed Shiro. He'd failed his hero, the one he knew in his heart he was in love with, the one that hated him now. He felt shattered. He felt broken. Not only had he lost everything, but it was his fault. It didn't matter if he died now because there was nothing worth living for anymore. He felt a tear slide down his face. It was better he died now. He couldn't face this pain anymore. He didn't have any words, any way to even describe the type of pain he felt. He would rather be dead than feel it for another moment.

He felt himself drifting away. Wave after wave of torment washing over his body while Shiro stared at him with those hate filled eyes. Eyes that had begun to glow. Eyes that had begun to glow purple. He vaguely heard another voice in the distance shouting. Shiro looked up away from him and in that moment it wasn't Shiro there, it wasn't him at all. It was robed and masked and very Galran. Lance shivered as the druid hissed at the voice that had interrupted him.


	9. Chapter 9

Shiro stared in horror at the visage of himself standing over Lance's body. Lance wasn't moving. Blood dripped from the other Shiro. His human arm was missing and a stump dripped blood. His Galra arm was coated, slick with human blood and it dripped down as well. The room around him was filled with horrors that he couldn't allow his mind to even consider right now. Right now he had to focus on Lance.

"Lance? Lance, can you hear me?" Shiro called. The other him turned his attention from Lance to Shiro. It's eyes glowed purple. It's form shifted and turned and where his form had been standing now stood a druid.

"Oh Champion. He can't hear you now. I've broken him. I've broken his mind and you have come. You have come here. Here where I am in control now. Here where you are weak. Just as I planned. Just as I knew would happen. I knew. I knew if I broke this one that it would break you. And it was you I wanted." The druid hissed as it moved closer to Shiro.

"What?" Shiro growled. He began to move to the side, trying to circle around the druid and get to Lance.

The druid removed it's mask revealing glowing purple eyes and a face of a skeletal nature with too thin purple skin stretched tight over bone. "I saw you, through the eyes of my creations, through my creatures. So magnificent so powerful…I knew why my mistress wanted you back. I knew then that I would take your body. I would bring your body back to my mistress. She would welcome me back as her new champion." 

It looked at him with a sort of twisted reverence or longing and Shiro felt his skin crawl. He crept on, moving to Lance, who still hadn't moved. His heart was in his throat. Was he too late? Was Lance already gone?

***  
Flashback  
***

"Shiro!" Hunk's voice desperate and loud came over the com in the infirmary.

"Hunk, what is it?" Shiro responded immediately, concerned that they had missed something and that the yellow paladin was in trouble.

"Shiro, it's Lance. We can't wake him up. I was cooking. We were in the kitchen and he was talking and then he wasn't talking and then I thought he was just sleeping but then he wouldn't wake up and I tried to wake him and Pidge tried and he's not and he won't and I think he had a seizure and it's like he's crying in his sleep and we can't get him to wake up…" Hunk's voice became increasingly panicked and breathless as he spoke quickly without pause. Shiro felt a chill down his back as he looked back to Coran.

Coran and he had just been discussing the possibility that the druid could move through bodies, could move from person to person. Coran had run quintessence scans on the body, on Allura, on himself, and on Shiro and had found traces of the tainted quintessence in all of them, but none in Keith. It had moved through them. It had moved through them and decided to take Lance? Why?

"Shiro, we are on our way to the infirmary. Hunk is carrying Lance now." Pidge's voice was rough, but firm.

Shiro flinched as he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned to see Keith's concerned eyes looking into his. He placed his hand over Keith's and took a deep breath. He's not sure what Keith saw in his face, but It was clear that he was worried about him.

"Coran, what do we do?" Shiro turned to the advisor who was pulling things from a cabinet and had wires and gadgets flying about on the counter.

"I've something. Allura, I'm going to need your help." Coran pulled the princess over to the counter and the two put their heads together and started assembling something.

"Shiro?" Keith asked quietly.

In that question Shiro heard a million other things. Keith knew about his feelings for Lance. He had argued with him several times that is reasons for not telling Lance were stupid. Those old rules about chain of command really didn't apply in space and really really didn't apply to a team of seven people. Keith who had argued that Shiro just wouldn't let himself be happy that for reasons that didn't make sense to Keith he was punishing himself. 

Why Lance? He wouldn't want it to be any of them, but his feelings about Lance were so conflicted, so twisted, because he'd never told him how he felt. Lance had no idea that Shiro loved him. He had no idea that Shiro thought he was amazing and strong and beautiful in spirit and soul. Pidge knew that he loved her like a little sister. Keith knew he was like his little brother. Even Hunk knew how much Shiro respected his strength of body and mind. But Lance, Lance didn't know. Lance doubted himself. Lance didn't know and that was Shiro's fault and if something happened to Lance now, if Lance never knew how Shiro felt - that would be Shiro's fault too and he wasn't sure he could live with that.


	10. Chapter 10

Shiro knelt next to Lance. Painfilled blue eyes full of despair looked up into his and Shiro felt a stab of pain straight through his soul at the defeat he saw there, but at the same time his heart gave a thump of hope because Lance was still there - there was still a chance.

"Lance, I need you to listen to me. This isn't real. What he's showing you, it's not real. You have power here. We are in your mind. You need to believe me." Shiro whispered fervently at Lance while turning his eyes to watch the druid as it moved on the other side of the room.

"What power do you imagine that pathetic excuse for a paladin has? He let me kill all of you. He watched as one by one I destroyed Voltron. He was powerless to stop me and he is still powerless. He will lie there and bleed to death with the knowledge of his failure. The knowledge that he let down his team, let down his friends, let down you, Champion, the one that he was never good enough for - the one that he loved." The druid mocked as it watched with cold calculating eyes.

Shiro glared at the druid, "You haven't killed anyone and he hasn't failed anyone.” Lance shook in Shiro's arms and a set of tears slid down his cheeks. Lance loved him? Blood continued to pour onto the floor from the gaping wound in his chest and dribble down his chin from his mouth. He was so pale, He looked so fragile. Shiro sucked in a deep breath.

"Lance, look at me," Shiro stared into those blue depths. He had to get through to him. "Lance, no one is dead. We are all okay. You didn't fail anyone. You didn't let anyone down. If anything I let you down." Lance shook his head "no", confusion making him frown. "Yes, I didn't realize it could move into another person and I should have figured that out. And more than that I...I let you think that you weren't good enough when the truth is you're too good. I was afraid to tell you how I felt, afraid that it wouldn't be fair to you. I realize now that it wasn't fair to hide it. I realize that by hiding it and trying to keep myself away from you I made you feel like I didn't care and that's so far from the truth, so very far Lance. I care about you - I love you."

"This is all very touching, but it’s too late, I’ve defeated him. He is almost gone. When I entered your mind I knew that you would be too strong to fight there. Anyone that can box away my mistress's memories has strength. But I saw your weakness. I saw your feelings for this one. I knew that if I broke him, it would bring you here to his mind. I knew that if I killed him, that it would weaken you. Now you are here in his mind and he is nearly dead. I will destroy your spirit and then I will inhabit your body. I will return the Champion to my Mistress, to Hagar, but I will be a better Champion than you ever were. I will be stronger. I will not have your weakness." The druid formed a blade of purple flame from his hand. "Face me now, Champion. Face me and die!"

Shiro growled as he activated his arm and prepared to fight. He only hoped Lance had heard him and understood.

***  
Flashback  
***

"So, you're going to do what?" Keith crossed his arms, body radiating displeasure.

"We are going to send Shiro into Lance's mind using the headsets we use for training. The headsets allow you to bond mentally as paladins and with a boost from Allura it will allow one user to enter Lance's mind. Shiro as the black paladin has a special connection to spiritual things like the astral plane. That makes him the perfect choice to save Lance." Coran concluded with a twirl of his moustache.

"That and other reasons," Pidge snarked quietly before getting elbowed by Hunk.

"What?" Shiro's eyes snapped to Pidge.

"Well," Pidge didn't even look a little ashamed, "it's just you're sort of his hero and he might have a really really obvious crush on you that everyone notices except you two."

"He what?" Shiro blinked in shocked disbelief. "He never said anything?"

"I mean," Hunk rubbed the back of his neck. "You do avoid him and he's pretty sure you don't even like him Shiro, why would he tell you he had those kinds of feelings?"

"I like him." Shiro spoke slowly.

"I know. I mean, you're a great leader and you care about all of us, and you know, Lance knows that too it's just he's not really as confident as he acts and he gets all in his head and thinks he isn't good enough and…" Hunk tapered off at the broken look on Shiro's face.

"He…I'm going to fix this. We are going to get him back and I am going to fix that." Shiro's voice was steeled with determination vying with the tears on his face. 

"Okay." Keith grabbed Shiro's shoulder and squeezed trying to give his brother his reassurance. He was well aware that Shiro cared about Lance. He had not been aware of how Lance felt. "So in order to save him, Shiro will be in Lance's mind? Won't that make him at risk from the druid too? Why does he have to go alone?"

"I only have enough strength to allow one to enter Lance's mind." Allura apologized. "If I thought it would be possible to support more than one of you and still have the power to remove the druid, I would. There is, of course, risk, but it is Lance’s mind and he has power there even if he doesn’t realize it yet.”

"Allura, don't apologize. Without you we wouldn't have any way to help Lance. Keith, I understand that you're worried for me, but I'm doing this and we need to hurry." Shiro had hopped onto a table that was set up next to Lance. They already had one headset fitted onto Lance. 

"Shiro, when you find the druid, you will reach out to me through your connection with the Black Lion and lead me to it. I will then draw it from Lance. We will trap it's quintessence here." Allura held up the clear canister that Coran had rummaged out of a storage room before handing it to the orange haired Altean. 

Coran had said it was the same technology that had allowed Alfor's spirit to be in the castle before the poisoned crystal had destroyed it. He hooked the canister to a series of cables that were connected to Lance's headset. He then connected a second headset and brought it over to Shiro, "Are you ready, Number one?"

"Yes." Shiro looked over to Lance. Hunk was running a hand through Lance's hair, brushing it back from his face. Tears were running down Lance's cheeks, his face was creased with pain, his hands were clenched, his body tense and trembling - whatever was going on in there was not good. Shiro needed to get in there now. He needed to save Lance. He needed Lance to know how important he was. "I'm ready."


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of the story. There will be an epilogue with clips and pieces of what the future holds...its a little fluffy...okay it's a lot fluffy...:)

Lance blinked bleary eyes at Shiro. Shiro was speaking to him. He was telling him that it wasn't real. He was telling him that he cared. Lance sighed as the pain pulsed in his chest. This was a nice dream. It was like his mind was trying to comfort him on his way out. He didn't deserve it. After all everyone, but Shiro was dead and Shiro hated him now. Shiro had killed him. This wasn't real…but it was a nice dream - one that could be filed away with that first date. Shiro cradling him in his arms. Shiro caring about him - loving him. Shiro looking at him like he was important, like he mattered. Shiro pressing lips to his forehead and laying him gently down. 

Wait? What? Why was Shiro leaving? If this was his last hallucination as he died why was Shiro leaving him? Couldn't his brain even get death right? Couldn't his brain let him have this moment? No, apparently not. Not only had Shiro moved away, but Shiro was fighting a druid. A druid that was flitting from place to place, shooting that ball lightning stuff at Shiro. Shiro cried out as a ball struck him in the back and spun with his Galra arm activated. Lance blinked and tried to make sense of what was happening, what he was seeing. Shiro was hurt. Shiro needed help.

Lance watched as Shiro dodged another swipe from the druid's flame blade. He twisted and called out Allura's name, but Allura was dead. Why was Shiro calling out to Allura?

A faint pink glow surrounded the druid, but he slashed at it with his blade and laughed. It dissipated like smoke. Lance struggled to pull in another breath, black spots danced between him and Shiro and the druid. What was the pink smoke? What was going on? The room around him seemed to be blurring, shifting. Keith's dead pod would glow and then not. He was there and then not. Coran and Hunk's bodies shifted away, the blood no longer covered the floor. The pods were gone. The floor was gone. Everything around him seemed to be fading to white. 

Lance wished the pain would fade. He still felt gutted. He still struggled to breathe. He could still feel his blood pouring out of his chest. How much blood does a person have? How was it possible that he was even still here? Shouldn't he be dead?

Shiro cried out as the flame blade bit into his thigh when he didn't turn quickly enough. The druid bared it's teeth and laughed, bloodthirsty and certain of it's victory. It stalked toward Shiro who had stepped back, arm up in a defensive position, but it was clear that he was favoring his left leg, blood leaking down his right. Blood that went down his leg and disappeared when it hit the white nothingness under his feet. 

Where was the floor? What had Imaginary Shiro said, something about being in his head? Well if this was his head he wanted ground, floating fighters were giving him vertigo. Lance nearly choked on the blood that he coughed up as the white under the fighters feet shifted to tan and become solid. Suddenly Shiro and the druid were standing on a beach - a beach. A beach…and then there was an ocean; surf crashing angrily on the shore behind Shiro and the druid. A dark stormy sky formed overhead. And Lance saw the druid pause. The glowing purple eyes turned back to him.

"Lance!" Shiro yelled over the waves. "Lance, please, I need your help. We have to get it out of your mind. We have to help Allura get it out of here!"

"NO!" The druid hissed. It spun around using Shiro's distraction to slice the flame blade into his Galra arm. Shiro screamed as it glowed brightly and then went dark.

"No." Lance whispered. No, Shiro was on his knees panting. The druid was standing over him. A ball of lightning in his hands prepared to strike. Prepared to kill Shiro. "No." Lance spoke more firmly. Loud enough that Shiro looked up. His grey eyes met Lance's blue and seemed to hold him there. Lance didn't know what all Shiro was trying to tell him with that look, but it held such promise. Promise of more - more between them than Lance had ever dared to hope for - it promised a first date, a first kiss, late nights under the stars and early mornings under the covers. It promised forever and Lance was not about to give that up.

My mind, Lance thought, my mind and I can make things happen. He pushed past the pain and pulled himself up to his knees. He closed his eyes and concentrated. A wave of water swept onto the shore, but it didn't stop there, it continued forward. It moved past Shiro. It moved across the sand until it was under the druid. The water around the druid's feet swirled and grew. It spun around the creature clutching at its legs.

"You can't stop me now! You are too weak!" The druid began trudging toward him, its eyes glowing and its teeth bared. 

The water grabbed and pulled at its feet, slowing it down, but it moved. It was coming for him. Lance pushed harder. The water rose higher, but the druid still came. He could feel his body trembling, feel the blood dripping into the unforgiving sand; he was fading fast.

"I'm going to finish you, poor weak paladin. Just like I finished the Champion. You failed. You failed your friends. They all died in front of your eyes and you couldn't stop any of it. Now I will put out the pathetic spark of life that remains in you." The druid raised it's blade and it grew brighter, the flames stronger. It would strike as soon as it was in range.

"Lance, I know you can do it. Lance, no one is dead. He is a liar. You are so strong - so very strong. You can stop him. You can trap him here. This is your mind not his. Your mind Lance. Don’t let him take it. I can't….please Lance I can't lose you." Shiro cried. 

Lance felt Shiro's words give him strength. He pushed the water up higher and faster. The druid screeched and began hacking at it. Lance felt like the blade was burning him as it struck the water. He screamed, but he did not let it go down. He felt like he was being cut into pieces as the blade bit into the water again and again, but he was not going to let this creature hurt Shiro, not anymore, not again. 

Lance could hear Shiro in the background yelling, "Allura! Allura, now, please!"

The water glowed. It was like it was lit from within, The blue glimmered and was joined with a pink almost pearlescent sheen. The druid began to screech. It struggled. The flame bit the water again and again and Lance cried out each time, but he held firm. The water began to stop swirling as it became hard, frozen, trapping the druid within. The water kept creeping up over the druid's head, over the blade until the purple flame was extinguished. For several moments the glowing purple eyes stared out from the frozen statue and then even they went out. The entire thing seemed to swirl and shimmer and then in a blink was gone.

Lance felt himself fall this time. It felt slow, like the sand was so much further away than he remembered, like he might fall forever and never stop. No part of him didn't hurt. He couldn't even pinpoint parts anymore - he was just pain. Everything was pain. It ached and burned and he cried as he fell.

A whisper tickled at his ear, a breath on his hair, a press of lips on the crown of his head, the brush of a hand against his cheek, a gentle squeeze of a hand in his hand - the feeling of falling faded and he was cradled in arms, held against a strong chest. A chest that rumbled ceaselessly with words that he couldn't quite make out. He tried to focus on it. He tried to hear it. He wanted to hear it.

"…okay. You'll be okay, just come back to me, please Lance, please come back to me. Please don't go. Please, baby, please just open your eyes. Don't leave. Don't go. You did it. You saved me. You saved everyone. You beat him. You were so strong. You are so strong. I know you can. I know you can come back. Please, I love you. I'm so sorry I never told you. I thought that it was wrong that I shouldn't have those feelings because I was your leader and it wouldn't be fair to you. I'm so messed up. I'm so messed up and I'm not even a good leader. I'm not good enough for you and it wasn't fair for me to tell you. I couldn't put you in that position. So I didn't tell you. I didn't tell you and I tried so hard to make sure you didn't see. I avoided you. I distanced myself from you. I kept away and hid my feelings. I hid them from you so well that you didn't know. You didn't even think I cared about you. You thought…thought…you weren't good enough, but you are so good. I just…"

Lance felt tears falling on his face. Shiro. It was Shiro's voice, Shiro's arms, Shiro's tears - Shiro was holding him, crying over him. 

"Shiro." He tried to whisper, but he couldn't even hear his own voice. Shiro must have noticed something though, because his eyes focused on Lance's and a watery smile graced his lips. He looked wrecked, eyes puffy and red, snot running down his face, tears leaving red trails down his cheeks - and Lance still thought he was the most beautiful thing in the world. Shiro chuckled wetly and Lance felt it vibrate through his chest. It felt good.

"There you are." Shiro pressed a kiss to his forehead. 

"Is this real?" Lance tried to speak again.

"Yes, Lance. It's real. We got you back. You're here." Shiro smiled again and brushed a tear from Lance's cheek.

Lance's awareness continued to return. He ached, hurt, but not the agony of before. He was in the infirmary on a bed. Shiro was sitting beside him in the bed and had cradled his upper body in his arms. He looked around and found that he was surrounded. Pidge clasped his hand. Keith stood behind Shiro with a grin on his lips. Hunk was leaned against the bed near his leg, tears still dripping but a smile on his face. Allura stood near his head, her hand brushed his hair from his forehead. Coran stood by his feet, moustache upturned in a huge smile. They were all there. His chest hitched in a sob. They were all there.

The End


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue
> 
> What's the future hold...yep it's all kinds of fluff I'm feeling the holidays and was craving the wrap up happy ending

Epilogue

A few quintants later…

"Let me." Shiro pulled the chair out from the table. Lance smiled softly as he sat and Shiro pushed the chair into the table. Shiro allowed a hand to linger and Lance's shoulder and Lance looked up into Shiro's eyes. He was blushing, Shiro was blushing and it was crazy adorable.

"Thank you." Lance smirked at Shiro's flustered movements as he made his way over to his seat. It warmed his heart. He couldn't imagine someone as amazing as Shiro having doubts or being worried, but as it turns out he was and this human side of Shiro made him so much more appealing - more real. "I see you got us the best table in the place."

Shiro grinned and waved an arm. The observatory on the ship had been decorated with vines of some kind of green plant, there were blue flowers in a vase on the table, flickering lights that looked almost like candles set next to them, and of course the view of the stars from the portal. Their small two person table sat right before the view. Shiro opened the bottle of some sort of fizzy drink that was sitting chilling in a bucket on the table. The cork popped like Champaign. Lance laughed as Shiro blinked surprised as it flew through the air and bounced off of the portal.

Shiro poured them each a glass and sat down. He raised his glass and Lance picked his up.

Shiro cleared his throat and blushing again, smiled shyly at Lance, "To fresh starts and being true to ourselves." 

Lance sighed as he clinked his glass against Shiro's; could the man be any more perfect. "To love and many tomorrows."

"To love." Shiro whispered back and they both sipped from the glasses.

It was nice, fizzy, almost peach flavored and very sweet. Shiro reached over and took Lance's hand in his, Lance gave him a squeeze back. They stayed like that for several moments, just looking at each other until the sound of someone clearing their throat loudly drew their attention.

Keith stood in the doorway. He was wearing some sort of formal red suit and carrying a basket of what looked like garlic knots. He was frowning and stopped to tug at the neckline. He brought the basket in and sat it on the table.

"Thank you." Shiro gave him a smile.

"Thanks, Keith." Lance grinned as Keith frowned and yanked at the collar again.

"Only for you guys. I don't know why Allura said I had to wear this thing. Enjoy the garlic knots. Hunk said the next course will be ready in about 15 dobashes. Pidge will be in with the soups." Keith turned and huffed before half stomping to the door. At the door he turned back to look at them. They didn't notice because they were staring at each other again, but he smiled. It had been too long since he'd seen Shiro this happy and it was good. Lance was healing from his fight with the druid and a lot of things he'd tried to hide had been brought to light. The team and Shiro were going to be sure Lance continued to heal and know how much he meant to them. Keith nodded to himself, even if he had to where a stupid suit and serve bread he'd do whatever it took to keep them that way.

*** 

A few movements later…

"Lance?"

"Hmmm?"

"Lance, we fell asleep on the couch."

"So?" Lance snuggled into the chest he was resting on.

"Lance." Shiro's voice rumbled amused.

"Don't wanna move," Lance wrapped his arms tighter around Shiro. He felt so warm and safe in Shiro's arms.

"I'd love to stay here with you too, but we are in the lounge and if we stay any longer Pidge is going to come and take more blackmail pictures." Shiro grinned into the dark hair resting on his chest.

"Pfftt! She already has pictures of us kissing. She can have couch snuggle pictures too. Blackmail only works if you're embarrassed or don't want others to know. I'm proud. I want the whole universe to know I have the best boyfriend." Lance murmured.

"Boyfriend?"

"Oh, um…" Lance pulled back worried. Shiro had one eyebrow up and a smirk on his face. "I mean…if that's okay…"

"Okay? I'm so honored to be your boyfriend." Shiro's face turned serious and he leaned forward until his lips pressed against Lance's, soft and warm and full of everything he couldn't say with words.

"Ew!" Pidge squealed as she walked through the door to find Lance sitting on Shiro's lap in full lip lock. "My eyes!" She turned and walked back out of the room. As soon as the door closed she leaned her head back against the wall and smiled so big that she felt like her face was going to split. It was so good, so right, Lance deserved this happiness and so did Shiro. They gave her so much hope that everything was going to work out right. It had seemed so impossible that those two would get together and yet they did. Anything was possible.

****

A few phoebs later…

"I can't believe this is really happening." Shiro stares around his new quarters and all of the boxes and things scattered around on every possible surface.

"I can't believe Allura has been holding out on us this whole time. I mean we could have had a suite like this sooner?" Lance laughed as he opened the huge walk-in closet. He'd already nearly cried over the whirlpool like bathtub and had spent several minutes literally jumping on the king sized bed. 

"She said there were only a few like this in the castle. She wanted us to be close together and there weren't any near the common area and the kitchen and the common bath…" Shiro trailed off at the look at Lance's face. It didn't matter how many times he saw it, it made him blush and stirred heat all through his body.

"And now they don't want us sleeping so near them all, it's like they're worried we'll disturb them." Lance's eyes glittered and he licked across his lips.

"Hmmm…" Shiro hummed as he moved to wrap Lance in his arms. They'd decided to move in together. It was a huge step, but the others had been completely supportive. Allura had instantly insisted that they move into one of the big suits on the castle. Shiro suspected that it had belonged to someone important. He had caught the looks Coran had given Allura, but she seemed so happy for them that he did not bring it up.

Lance kissed Shiro's neck at the pulse point. He shivered as Shiro wrapped his arms around him and lifted him up, spinning him around before dropping him onto the bed. 

Lance laughed freely and openly and looked up at Shiro's face. Such a beautiful carefree smile on his face and all for him, all because of them. "I love you." He whispered.

"Well you'd better, I'm not moving all of your stuff again." Shiro laughed. 

Lance clamored to his knees on the bed and put his hands on Shiro's shoulder. "I love you." He'd never felt this way about another person before it was so much more and he wanted Shiro to know. "I love you." He said again slowly, pouring his heart into each word.

Shiro found himself locked into place by Lance's blue eyes. He couldn't move. It was like drowning only he wanted it. He wanted to drown there forever. "I love you too." He whispered it reverently.

Allura wiped a tear as she made her way from the door. She'd found one last package that Lance had missed in his old room. He really had acquired a lot of things in their travels; Shiro's room had been near bare in comparison. She had sat the package down and was about to knock when she heard the tender declarations from within. Alteans, after all, have excellent hearing. She'd had a momentary pang of regret after offering them the suit. But It had been a very long time since it had been occupied after all. She couldn't keep it as a shrine forever and it was right that it be filled with love again. 

"Your father would be proud." Coran surprised her coming down the hallway towards her and putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close to his side. "You are an amazing young woman and what you did for them was lovely."

"It shouldn't be empty anymore. Father…" Allura blinked back tears, "Father wouldn't sleep there after she was gone. He said that there were too many memories there. They were good memories, but it wasn't right for him to sleep there anymore. He missed her so." 

"He did. He loved her so much." Coran smiled. 

"I'm glad that I gave them the room. It is right that it be filled with love and memories again." Allura smiled and leaned into Coran as they walked back toward the bridge.

"So much restoration work to be done in this universe, but somehow this feels like a very important step." Coran nodded.

"Yes. It does. We can do it, one step at a time." Allura squared her shoulders and moved on to the bridge. 

Coran watched her determined stride with a glow of pride and wiped a tear from his cheek.

****

A few decophoebs later…

"Did you think it would ever be this good?" Lance sighed as he leaned back into the comfortable chair. Hunk's home was always warm and inviting. He rested his head against the little one on his chest. Hunk's youngest was only two phoebs old and loved to snuggle. Balmarians grew quickly and he was already an arm full.

"Sometimes." Hunk smiled down at the sleeping maybe and his best friend. "I'll have the meal ready in a while." He sat in a chair facing Lance. "How's Shiro?"

"Good. He'll be here soon. He and Keith went to pick up Pidge and Matt." Lance rocked and hummed to the little one who cooed back at him. "Dude, you have the cutest kids."

"Well, I have to say I'm pretty fond of them myself." Hunk laughed. Marta was toddling now and Shay had taken her for a walk. Ray looked so happy snuggled into his Uncle Lance. Lance looked so relaxed with the little one on his lap. "So have you thought about joining the ranks of parents?" 

Lance blinked up surprised by the question, but really why should he be? Hunk had always been intuitive, "Well don't tell Shiro I told you, because he wants to make a big announcement, but well, we are."

"What?!" Hunk practically squealed causing Ray to grumble on Lance's chest.

"We're adopting. The paperwork got approved just last week. By next week we'll have a full house." Lance smiled at the sheer joy that had filled him and Shiro when they'd gotten the word of their approval.

"Full house?"

"Yep, we are adopting siblings. They were orphaned during the war. The agency has been trying so hard to find a place for all three of them together, but most people aren't ready to take in three kids. They said they could have placed the baby five or six times and even just the youngest two, but all three…well not everyone is ready to deal with a moody teenager. But then Shiro already took on Keith and what could be worse than that?" Lance winked at Hunk.

"You have to tell me all about them! Please!" Hunk begged.

"Nope. Not ruining all of Shiro's big moment and you are no good at pretending to be excited so you'll just have to wait." Lance laughed as Hunk begged and pleaded for more information. He knew though that Hunk was so happy for him and Shiro. They had talked about children for a few deca-phoebs and with the war over, well it was time. They were ready. 

Lance knew it would be a challenge, but he was looking forward to this next chapter in their life. Shiro was retiring from the Garrison and had accepted an advisory position on the Altean counsel. Lance's work as an ambassador had settled as he had taken a spot at the embassy on New Altea, coordinating and welcoming all of the many visiting dignitaries. 

He smiled as he heard the door open and Keith and Shiro's voices drifted in. Shiro was soon standing behind him looking down at him with a soft smile. 

"Hey." Lance greeted.

"Hey yourself, looking pretty comfortable there." Shiro smiled at Lance and the baby.

"I am." Lance rubbed his cheek against Ray's head. Lance blinked back happy tears thinking about how soon he would be holding their own child. 

Shiro leaned down and captured Lance's lips in a quick kiss, "I love you."

Lance smiled into the kiss. He never would have imagined this life for himself, but it was wonderful. He’d lived through so many nightmares, so many struggles and so much pain - but he’d lived, he’d survived, he’d flourished and made an amazing life. He’d left behind the nightmares and was living his dream.


End file.
